The C-Reactive Protein (CRP) is synthesized by the liver in response to interleukin-6 and well known as one of the classical acute-phase reactants and as a marker of inflammation. CRP is the first acute-phase protein to be described and is an exquisitely sensitive systemic marker of inflammation and tissue damage. The acute-phase response comprises the nonspecific physiological and biochemical responses of endothermic animals to most forms of tissue damage, infection, inflammation, and malignant neoplasia. The serum CRP level may rise from a normal level of <5 mg/L to 500 mg/L during the body’s general, non-specific response to infectious and other acute inflammatory events. For some time, the measurement of CRP concentration has been used as a clinical tool for monitoring autoimmune diseases and infectious processes, such as rheumatoid arthritis.
